Tag Archives: football

With football season in full swing, odds are you are either watching the games to cheer on your favorite teams…or because you enjoy sipping a cold beer and eating nachos with chorizo.

While some of the writers and staff here at Diets In Review are avid fans of their hometown football teams, others (like myself) are in it purely for the halftime noshes.

Brandi Koskie, Managing EditorFavorite College Team: Oklahoma SoonersFavorite Game Day Eats: “I can’t watch a game without tacos and homemade guacamole. To keep it healthy, I use ground turkey with sauteed onions, green chilies, black beans and corn tortillas.”

This week marks the beginning of the college football season and after a summer of cookouts and picnics, most healthy eaters are tired of grilled vegetables and black bean burgers.

If you want to socialize without blowing your diet during football games this year, stick to fresh, simple recipes to boost your team spirit, whether you’re in the stadium parking lot or watching on your neighbor’s flat screen TV.

As you plan your menu for the next big game, consider some of these healthy tailgating recipes – all just as delicious and crowd-pleasing as their fattening counterparts.

Bryant McKinnie was a professional football player for the Minnesota Vikings. An offensive lineman, McKinnie signed a contract extension in 2006 that was worth almost $50 million dollars. It looked like McKinnie would be a long-term Viking, but he was recently cut from the team’s roster after he showed up to training camp, weighing almost 400 pounds. This is 65 pounds more than he weighed last year, and evidently, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Judd Zugland, a reporter at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, said that McKinnie’s weight gain was the “final straw” that allowed the team to dismiss him from their ranks. In the past, McKinnie has had several off-field issues such as being involved in a brawl in 2008 and was a key player in the infamous “Love Boat incident”, a sex party on a rented boat involving many members of the team, which was very embarrassing for the franchise.

In a sport where the players have to be big enough to clear the field for their teammates to score touchdowns and have to stop the other team from rushing the ball, shouldn’t bigger always be better? Surprisingly, no. These NFL linemen have to walk a thin line between being big but still athletic, and so overweight that it slows them down. It seems that the Vikings determined that McKinnie had finally gotten too big, and was no longer an asset to the football team.

The fast-food giant is being called out for the less than 35 percent beef used in their tacos and burritos. However, Taco Bell is fighting back saying they use 88 percent, plus a secret ingredient, in these “truth ads.”

The USDA and HHS released the pentennial report with new nutritional recommendations for Americans. Included is direction for consuming less sodium, sugar and saturated fat, and consuming more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

One of the best parts of Super Bowl Sunday is the traditional bar-food fare that often accompanies any big game. If you’re rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers this year, you might be tempted to indulge in some locally-inspired game day grub.

Because Pittsburgh is a city rich with culinary tradition, its fans are often as loyal to its food as they are to its football team. Whether you’re rooting for the Steelers from your sofa or watching on a big-screen at a bar, you should pay homage to the city itself by splurging on some of Pittsburg’s favorite dishes. In case you’re cooking your game day goodies at home, we dug up some tips on how you can stay on your diet and support the team at the same time.

Wisconsin might be known for its cheese production but there is more to the Badger State than saturated fat. With the Green Bay Packers taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers in this weekend’s Super Bowl, waist watching Wisconsin fans are probably racking their brains to develop Super Bowl menus that don’t revolve around the words cheddar, Swiss and Roquefort.

Though cheese is certainly a staple in many game day dishes, you don’t have to go queso-crazy this week if you’re a Packers fan looking to pay homage to your favorite team. We did some digging and found a handful of recipes and snack suggestions to help you root for Aaron Rodgers and his clan without having to spend the rest of the week on a treadmill.

Holidays and events are generally focused around the food. While there’s nothing particularly wrong with this, the problem occurs when we choose the wrong foods on which to focus. Super Bowl is a prime example, known as the biggest eating day of the year. If you’ve made a resolution, this is your first real test and we want to help you pass with flying colors!

“Eat all the junk food you want, as long as you cook it yourself,” is a favorite quote by Michael Pollan, author of Food Rules and Omnivore’s Dilemma. It suggests that it’s OK to eat the foods you love, but only when you prepare them yourself. This allows you to control the ingredients, reduce or remove the processed and chemical ingredients, and stay closer to the whole form of the foods.

Here are some favorite homemade junk food recipes that will no doubt be a hit at your Super Bowl party, or any other food-focused event you’re hosting!

Fake Fry. Anything breaded, battered and fried isn’t good for you, no matter how healthy the original form of the food (think sweet potatoes and chicken). Use Panko, Japanese bread crumbs, to coat chicken strips, zucchini, onion rings or even green beans. Dip in low-fat buttermilk or toss in a small amount of olive oil, roll in Panko, give a light mist of cooking spray and then bake. The food comes out super crunchy and much healthier! Try this Biggest Loser’s Winning Fried Chicken. (more…)

The Super Bowl is scheduled to be played this year on Feb 6 and this culmination of the football season will be played out by the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers. Getting together with a group of friends to watch the game is a tradition, but if you are trying to lose weight, it can be a rough evening. Why not host a healthy Super Bowl party? Sounds like an impossible task, but take heart, as it is not as difficult as it sounds. With just a few key switch ups, your party guests will never realize that you’ve made changes to the menu that won’t leave them in need of a “day after” exercise binge.

Chili is a main stay of every football party, and for good reason. It’s a rich, hearty dish that is filling and delicious. Instead of using ground beef in your preparations, switch it up and use ground turkey, chicken or soy crumbles. Meatless chili or black bean versions are also very popular.

The quarterback is one of the most important positions on a football team, not at all unlike the a mom in family. Like a quarterback she is tasked with running the offense and she calls plays (“pick up your toys!”), keeps the offense in line (assigned seats at the dinner table to avoid bickering), reads through the defense (those manipulative little smiles), and adjusts the plays accordingly (reverse psychology!). Because a QB’s job is never done, and neither is a mom’s with 3a.m. bedside visits, he has to be in tip-top shape to perform every play; as well, the mother needs to be in tip-top shape to keep up with the demands of her job.

Moms certainly deserve seven-figure salaries like professional football players, however, most accept payment via wilted flowers and hand-drawn family portraits.

Since healthy moms are happy moms, not to mention even stronger role models for their little ones, we want to help you stay fit like the QBs you resemble. Below is a sample fitness plan for a typical NFL quarterback. You already run around like one, now you can get fit like one.

The information provided within this site is strictly for the purposes of information only and is not a replacement or substitute for professional advice, doctors visit or treatment. The provided content on this site should serve, at most, as a companion to a professional consult. It should under no circumstance replace the advice of your primary care provider. You should always consult your primary care physician prior to starting any new fitness, nutrition or weight loss regime.